I Learned These Traeger Lessons The Hard Way

I absolutely love my Traeger grill. I have no complaints, and it's worked pretty much perfectly for me. But, just like any other investment, you have to take care of it. I'm fortunate enough that my mistakes haven't ruined my pellet grill. Here's what to know.

"It Got Away From Me"

The single biggest reason people have any problems with their pellet grill is that they haven't kept it clean. The message on my Pro 575 says each time I turn it on, "Clean Grill, Fire Pots Don't Clean Themselves."

If you don't clean out the inside of the grill, dust from the pellets can accumulate. Firepots can become full of dust, and sometimes that can ignite, causing a fire that burns out of control.

You'll see the temperature start to climb, and you may even see flames start to shoot out of the drip slot or thermometer hole. Yikes!

Ken Hayes

Mistake 1 - Grease Residue In Drip Tray

I cleaned out my fire pot pretty regularly, so I was surprised when my first fire happened. It was scary! Flames started shooting out of the bottom into the grease collector. I made a big mistake by opening the lid the first time. This just added more air to the mixture, and the flames shot higher.

What had happened was that grease and creosote had formed along the edge where the grease drips down into the catch pan. I was using high heat to do a wood-fired pizza when it ignited.

Once the fire was out, I used a scraper and cleaned off all the creosote that I could find.

Mistake 2 - Not Cleaning Out Your Burner Pot

The way the wood pellet grill works is that an auger feeds the pellets into the fire pot, which then does a controlled burn of the pellets. Even in just one long cook, the pot can fill with extra dust and particles. When those accumulate, the fire can spread, and next thing you know you've got an inferno.

I haven't personally had this happen to me, as I am pretty religious about cleaning out the fire pot. But it did happen to a friend of mine on Thanksgiving, and it really messed up the process of smoking the Turkey.

Mistake 3 - Buildup On Drip Tray Liner

Whether you use an aluminum drip tray liner or just aluminum foil, this really should be replaced whenever it gets grease buildup. Fires can start when using the grill at higher temperatures. For example, I was cooking at 425 degrees to do some garlic bread. (It was 100 degrees out, and I didn't want to heat up the oven.) The residue on the aluminum foil ignited. Fortunately, it burned off pretty quickly; I kept the lid closed and turned the temperature way down, and once the fire was out, I was able to resume cooking.

Read More: Win A Traeger Pro 34 + $500 In Groceries

What To Do And Not To Do If It Catches Fire

First, close the lid to starve it of oxygen. Do NOT unplug it. Do NOT use water to try to put it out. (It will spread the grease fire.) Don't use flour to put it out, as flour can combust.

Move flammable objects away from the grill. The fire should go out on its own with the lid closed, but if it gets out of control, use a fire extinguisher or call the fire department.

Fortunately, It Wasn't This Bad

Traeger says it's rare for a fire to make a grill inoperable for future use, but it does happen. Check out this video, where the paint bubbled and melted off the grill.